We recognize that no two governments are alike, and the challenges each government faces are unique and reflective of a constellation of circumstances, policies, community, and needs.  Government is complex, but we believe complexity can be managed with skill, planning, and an eye on the future.    We are fluent in the language of government and we work as your parters to co-produce solutions that are uniquely yours.  

Established in 2018, Paradigm Public Affairs is a public sector management and leadership consulting firm.  We are committed to providing customized strategic solutions with sustainable and measurable results that address the unique needs and challenges of 21st century governance.  We are a woman-owned business in the State of Colorado and our staff are comprised of over 15 consultants, researchers, designers, and facilitators located in the Denver area and across the United States.

Our founder, Tanya Settles, had worked in helping roles for most of her professional career, either as a professor, consultant, government administrator, policy and program evaluator, or non-profit board member.  These experiences had a common thread -- helping government entities better serve their communities in a way that is equitable and inclusive while at the same time maintaining sustainable performance.  Recognizing that being equitable and high performance are not mutually exclusive activities, Tanya reached out to the people and colleagues who inspired her the most with experience in public administration and policy.  In these discussions, one of the themes that consistently emerged was the notion that governments have good intentions and mean well, but sometimes decisions don't always align with the needs of the communities they serve.  And sometimes, governments try so hard to be inclusive and equitable, they overlook performance or they focus so much on performance, they overlook equity and equality.  In complex organizations like government, it isn't always easy to see how equity and performance are related to one another.

It was on this basis that Paradigm was formed.  We believe governments can better serve the community, be more equitable and inclusive, and not lose the focus of higher performance through combining diversity of thought with empirical analysis.  Don't get us wrong -- we are advocates and allies of government.  In fact, ask most of the members of our team, and we'll proudly tell you that we consider ourselves to be public servants.  But we are public servants with a critical eye who believe that the cornerstone of democracy means using that critical perspective to identify opportunities, craft solutions, and advance government in a way that focuses on equity, equality, and inclusion of the whole community.